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Gamma And X-Ray Irradiation Improve Postharvest Shelf-Life In 'Bartlett' Pears, Matthew Garcia

Food Science (MS) Theses

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of gamma and x-ray treatment on ‘Bartlett’ pear physiology during postharvest storage. Freshly harvested ‘Bartlett’ pears were irradiated with gamma irradiation at 0.412 and 0.819 kGy and x-ray irradiation at 1.03 and 1.94 kGy, then stored at 0-1 ⁰C and 95% relative humidity. The pears were removed from cold storage at 45 and 75 days and allowed to ripen at room temperature for four and two days, respectively. Respiration rate and ethylene production were measured during fruit ripening. Color, firmness, titratable acidity, soluble solids contents, and occurrence of superficial scald …